Chaise lounge with quick release

ABSTRACT

A chaise chair includes a frame, a main seat attached to the frame, a backrest pivotally attached to the frame, and a mount connected with and selectively movable with respect to the frame. The backrest is pivotal between a lowered position and a raised position. A locking mechanism is associated with the mount and is operable between a locked state in which the mount is precluded from movement with respect to the frame and an unlocked state in which the mount is movable with respect to the frame. A linkage connects with the mount and the backrest and is configured such that movement of the mount with respect to the frame results in pivotal movement of the backrest with respect to the frame. A release mechanism is operatively associated with the locking mechanism so as to change the locking mechanism from the locked state to the unlocked state.

BACKGROUND

A conventional outdoor chaise lounge chair includes a rectangular framewith a leg at each corner. A main seat is attached to the frame andsupports the user's lower body. A backrest is pivotally attached to theframe and is used to support the user's upper body. The backrest istypically held at one of several predetermined angles with a braceassembly that connects between the backrest and the frame.

In use of the conventional outdoor chaise lounge chair, a person walksto the back of the frame and adjusts the backrest to a desired angle andthen lies down on the main seat and leans back against the backrest.When the user wishes to adjust the backrest to a different angle, theymust get up from the chaise chair, walk towards the back of the frameagain, and readjust the brace assembly of the backrest to a differentangle. With this arrangement, the user must disrupt their relaxinglounging position to adjust the angle of the backrest.

There are also outdoor chaise lounge chairs that include pneumatic orhydraulic power systems that introduce a continuous upward spring biason the backrest so that the backrest is always forced upwards. Thesepower systems include a locking mechanism that allows a user to hold thebackrest in a desired position, against the upward spring bias. A handleactuator to unlock the locking mechanism for the power system istypically located on the side of the chaise chair, within reach of auser's hands when the user is reclined on the chaise chair. This systemallows a user to push back against the spring bias to lower the backrestand also lean forward to allow the spring bias to move the backrestupward while still reclined on the chaise lounge chair. With thesepowered systems, the user may then lock the backrest at any desiredangle of movement.

Outdoor chaise lounge chairs are found in residential settings, but arealso popular in hospitality settings, such as hotels, spas and resorts.In hospitality settings, each evening, for example, hotel stafftypically walks around to realign the rows of chaise lounge chairs. Asthey do this, they usually lower any raised backrest to a lowered,typically flat, position. For chaise lounge chairs that use pneumatic orhydraulic power systems, the staff member must either lay down on eachchaise lounge chair, release the locking mechanism and then push thebackrest, against the spring-bias, until the backrest reaches thelowered position. Alternatively, the staff member may remain standingwhile awkwardly reaching over to the side of the chaise lounge chair andactuate the locking mechanism handle while again pushing the backrestback to the lowered position. In either case, the actions can beexhausting for the staff, considering the number of chaise lounge chairsin many hospitality settings.

SUMMARY

In view of the foregoing, a chaise chair includes a frame, a main seatattached to the frame, a backrest pivotally attached to the frame, and amount connected with and selectively movable with respect to the frame.The backrest is pivotal between a lowered position and a raisedposition. A locking mechanism is associated with the mount and isoperable between a locked state in which the mount is precluded frommovement with respect to the frame and an unlocked state in which themount is movable with respect to the frame. A linkage connects with themount and the backrest and is configured such that movement of the mountwith respect to the frame results in pivotal movement of the backrestwith respect to the frame. A release mechanism is operatively associatedwith the locking mechanism so as to change the locking mechanism fromthe locked state to the unlocked state.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a chaise chair.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the chaise chair of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the chaise chair of FIG. 1 with supportelements removed.

FIG. 4 a bottom plan view of the chaise chair of FIG. 1 with the supportelements removed.

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the chaise chair of FIG. 1 withthe support elements removed and a backrest frame shown in a loweredposition.

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the chaise chair of FIG. 1 withthe support elements removed and the backrest frame shown in a raisedposition.

FIG. 7 is a lower perspective view of the chaise chair of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 8 is a side perspective partial view of a mount and a linkage forthe chaise chair of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 9 is a perspective top partial view of the mount and an associatedlocking mechanism in a locked state for the chaise chair of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 10 is a plan partial view of the mount and associated lockingmechanism in an unlocked state for the chaise chair of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 11 is a perspective top partial view of an alternative mount andassociated locking mechanism in a locked state for the chaise chair ofFIG. 1 .

FIG. 12 is a perspective top partial view of a portion of the lockingmechanism of FIG. 11 in an unlocked state.

FIG. 13 is an exploded view of another alternative mount and associatedlocking mechanism for the chaise chair of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 14 is a perspective top partial view of a portion of the lockingmechanism of FIG. 13 in a locked state.

FIG. 15 is a perspective top partial view of the locking mechanism ofFIG. 13 in an unlocked state.

FIG. 16 is an exploded view of another alternative mount and associatedlocking mechanism for the chaise chair of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 17 is a perspective top view of the alternative mount andassociated locking mechanism with a cover.

FIG. 18 is a perspective top partial view of the locking mechanism ofFIG. 16 in a locked state.

FIG. 19 is a perspective top partial view of the locking mechanism ofFIG. 16 in an unlocked state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1 , a chaise chair 10 includes a frame 12, a main seat14 attached to the frame 12 and a backrest 16 pivotally attached to theframe 12. The backrest 16 is pivotal between a lowered position, whichis shown in FIG. 1 , and a raised position, in which FIG. 2 depicts oneof possible multiple raised positions. The frame 12 can be similar inconstruction to a conventional outdoor chaise lounge chair. The mainseat 14 includes a main seat support element 18 on which a user restswhen sitting or reclining on the chaise chair 10. When in typical use,the main seat 14 supports the user's lower body, e.g., legs. Thebackrest 16 includes a backrest support element 22 against which a userrests when sitting or reclining on the chaise chair 10. When in typicaluse, the backrest 16 supports the user's back.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the chaise chair 10 and FIG. 4 is a bottomview of the chaise chair 10, and in both figures the main seat supportelement 18 and the backrest support element 22 are removed. The chaisechair 10 further includes a mount 24 connected with and selectivelymovable with respect to the frame 12. A locking mechanism, which will bedescribed in more detail below, is associated with the mount 24 and isoperable between a locked state in which the mount 24 is precluded frommovement with respect to the frame 12 and an unlocked state in which themount 24 is movable with respect to the frame 12.

As more clearly visible in FIG. 4 , a linkage 26 connects with the mount24 and the backrest 16 (FIG. 1 ) in a manner described in more detailbelow such that movement of the mount 24 with respect to the frame 12can result in pivotal movement of the backrest 16 with respect to theframe 12. A release mechanism 28 is operatively associated with thelocking mechanism so as to change the locking mechanism from the lockedstate to the unlocked state. The release mechanism 28 allows for quicklylowering the backrest 16, which will be described in more detail below.

With reference to FIG. 3 , the frame 12 includes a left side rail 42 anda right side rail 44. In the depicted embodiment, the left side rail 42is parallel with the right side rail 44. The frame 12 further includes ahead end cross member 46 connecting the left side rail 42 to the rightside rail 44 and a foot end cross member 48 that also connects the leftside rail 42 to the right side rail 44. When in the chaise chair 10 isin typical use with a person reclining on it, the head end cross member46 is located nearer to where a user's head would reside, and the footend cross member 48 is located nearer to where the user's feet wouldreside. With reference back to FIG. 1 , the frame 12 further includes aplurality of legs 52 which extend downwardly from both the left siderail 42 and the right side rail 44, respectively.

With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 , the frame 12 further includes a leftmain seat side member 54 connected with the left side rail 42 and aright main seat side member 56 connected with the right side rail 44.Main seat cross members 58 connect with and extend between the left mainseat side member 54 and the right main seat side member 56. As moreclearly seen in FIG. 5 , the main seat cross members 58 may be curveddownwardly and extend perpendicular to a longest dimension of the leftmain seat side member 54 and the right main seat side member 56 to whichthey connect. The main seat support element 18, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 ,connects with and extends between the left main seat side member 54 andthe right main seat side member 56. The main seat support element 18 maybe made from wood panels, vinyl straps, or a cut portion of a textile,which can be referred to as a sling.

With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 , a backrest frame 60 pivotally attachesto the frame 12 at a hinge 62. The backrest frame 60 includes a leftbackrest side member 64 and a right backrest side member 66. Backrestcross members 68 connect with and extend between the left backrest sidemember 64 and the right backrest side member 66. Similar to the mainseat cross members 58, each backrest cross member 68 can be curveddownwardly and extend perpendicular to the respective left backrest sidemember 64 and the right backrest side member 66 to which they connect.

The backrest frame 60 further includes a left brace 74 extending betweenthe left backrest side member 64 and the linkage 26. A similar rightbrace 76 extends between the right backrest side member 66 and thelinkage 26. More particularly, the left brace 74 includes an upper end78 that is fixed to the left backrest side member 64 and a lower end 82that is pivotally connected with the linkage 26 via a fastener 84 moreclearly seen in FIG. 6 . Similarly, the right brace 76 includes an upperend 86 that is fixed to the right backrest side member 66 and a lowerend 88 that is pivotally connected with the linkage 26 via the fastener84. The backrest support element 22 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 connects withand extends between the left backrest side member 64 and the rightbackrest side member 66. The backrest support element 22 may be madefrom wood panels, vinyl straps, or a cut portion of a textile, which canbe referred to as a sling.

With reference to FIGS. 3-8 , the mount 24 connects with and isselectively movable with respect to the frame 12 in each direction ofthe double-headed arrow 102 in FIG. 6 , which is parallel with a longestdimension of the left side rail 42 and the right side rail 44. Thelinkage 26 connects with the mount 24 and the backrest 16, and moreparticularly to the backrest frame 60 via the pivotal connection to theleft brace 74 and the right brace 76. In the illustrated embodiment, thelinkage 26 can be a lockable gas spring assembly configured to beselectively activated to bias the backrest 16 toward the raised positionwhen the locking mechanism is in the locked state. With reference toFIG. 8 , the linkage 26 when in the form of the lockable gas springassembly can include a piston rod 110 having a first pivot mount 112(most clearly viewed in FIGS. 4 and 8 ) and a cylinder 114 having asecond pivot mount 116 (most clearly viewed in FIG. 4 ). When thelocking mechanism associated with the mount 24 is in the locked state inwhich the mount 24 is precluded from movement with respect to the frame12, a linear force on the piston rod 110 within the cylinder 114 towardthe foot end cross member 48 results in the cylinder 114 moving towardthe head end cross member 46. Movement of the cylinder 114 towards thehead end cross member 46 applies a force to the backrest frame 60 viathe pivotal connection to the left brace 74 and the right brace 76 atthe second pivot mount 116. This linear displacement of the cylinder 114towards the head end cross member 46 causes the backrest 16 to pivotupwardly toward the raised position, which is shown in FIG. 2 . Thelockable gas spring assembly functions like a battery in that it storesenergy. The energy is released, when needed, linearly through the pistonrod 110, and in this application, a linear force is used to raise thebackrest 16. Once the energy is released, the energy can be restoredwithin the cylinder 114 by applying a linear force to the piston rod110, through rotation of the backrest 16, by a user leaning against thebackrest 16 with their weight, for example.

The lockable gas spring assembly is of a lockable type, which allows fora controlled displacement of piston rod 110 at any point along itslength of travel, without applying any resistance. There are well knownlockable gas spring assemblies that are commercially available in avariety of stroke lengths, overall lengths, and forces that can beemployed as the linkage 26. The particular specifications of such alockable gas spring assembly will vary depending on the particulardimensions and weights of the various components used in the specificchaise construction. The stroke length of the lockable gas springassembly is to be sufficient in length to be able to angularly displacethe backrest 16 between the lowered position shown in FIG. 1 and a fullyraised position. The amount of force applied by the lockable gas springassembly is to be sufficient to raise the weight of the backrest 16,including the added weight of any overlaying cushion and towels andpillows, along the full range of motion of the backrest 16. A typicalforce of a lockable gas spring assembly for this application will likelybe between 30 and 50 pounds.

When the aforementioned lockable gas spring assembly is employed as thelinkage 26, a trigger button 128 is located at a distal end of thepiston rod 110. With these types of lockable gas spring assemblies, thepiston rod 110 is normally locked with respect to cylinder 114, and willonly displace in response to pushing trigger button 128. If a user wantsassistance in raising the backrest 16, the trigger button 128 isdepressed. When the trigger button 128 is depressed, an internal valve130, which is schematically depicted in FIG. 8 and located inside thecylinder 114, is activated allowing the piston rod 110 to push out fromcylinder 114, unless it is already fully extended therefrom.

Conventional outdoor chaise lounge chairs with a so-called “gas-assist”feature typically provide a button or lever at an accessible location.This button or lever would be mechanically connected to the triggerbutton 128 using a Bowden cable. The arrangement allows the user toactivate (unlock) the lockable gas spring assembly from a remotelocation. In the illustrated embodiment and with particular reference toFIG. 8 , the distal end of the piston rod 110 can include threads toconnect with the first pivot mount 112. The first pivot mount 112 caninclude a threaded bore 132 (shown in phantom in FIG. 8 ) that receivesthe distal end of the piston rod 110, and a pass-through bore 134. Thepass-through bore 134 is sized and shaped to snugly receive an actuatorrod 136 while allowing for rotation about a rotational axis 138. Aprojection 150 is provided on the actuator rod 136 and extendsperpendicular to the rotational axis 138 and resides within thepass-through bore 134 of the first pivot mount 112. The projection 150aligns with and depresses the trigger button 128 when the actuator rod136 rotates in the direction of arrow 152, and serves as a stop bycontacting a portion of the first pivot mount 112 when the actuator rod136 rotates in the opposite direction. The valve 130 is movable betweena closed position in which movement of the piston rod 110 with respectto the cylinder 114 is precluded and an open position in which thepiston rod 110 is movable with respect to the cylinder 114. To raise thebackrest 16, with the locking mechanism associated with the mount 24 ina locked position, which will be described in more detail below, a userpulls up on a valve actuator 154, which is connected with, and in theillustrated embodiment integrally formed with, the actuator rod 136. Tomake the backrest 16 go back down, the user pushes the backrest 16 downwhile still pulling up on the valve actuator 154. The valve actuator154, which is manually actuated, is accessible on at least one side ofthe frame 12, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 . If desired, two valve actuators154 can be provided; one on each side of the frame 12.

In the illustrated embodiment, the valve actuator 154 is connected toand movable with the mount 24 as the mount 24 moves with respect to theframe 12, and the selective movement of the mount 24 will be describedin further detail below. With reference to FIG. 8 , the mount 24includes an actuator rod receiving section 156 including a hole (notvisible in FIG. 8 ) aligned with the pass-through bore 134. The actuatorrod receiving section 156 can be provided on a lower housing section 158of the mount 24 that also facilitates connection to slide rails 160. Theactuator rod 136 extends through this hole connecting the actuator rodwith the mount 24. The hole in the actuator rod receiving section 156allows for rotation of the actuator rod 136 about the rotational axis138.

The mount 24 is selectively slidable along the slide rails 160, whichare secured to adjacent main seat cross members 58, as shown in FIGS. 3and 4 . The slide rails 160 may be secured to the main seat crossmembers 58 using any appropriate method, depending on the material usedto make the frame 12, such as welding or using an appropriate mechanicalfastener. The slide rails 160 in the illustrated embodiment are madefrom an extruded aluminum and are longitudinally mounted within frame12, parallel to the left side rail 42 and the right side rail 44 andcentered between them. The slide rails 160 are mounted below the mainseat support element 18 sufficiently far (preferably at least 5 cm) sothat the main seat support element 18 will not accidentally touch theslide rails 160 during use of the chaise chair 10, for example due tosagging that tends to occur after continued use, when a textile sling isused as a support element.

As mentioned above, a locking mechanism is associated with the mount 24and is operable between a locked state in which the mount 24 isprecluded from movement with respect to the frame 12, and moreparticularly the slide rails 160, and an unlocked state in which themount 24 is movable with respect to the frame 12 along the slide rails160. With the lockable gas spring assembly locked, whereby movement ofthe piston rod 110 with respect to the cylinder 114 is precluded, andthe locking mechanism associated with the mount 24 in an unlocked state,the mount 24 can slide between a first position and a second position inresponse to pivotal movement of the backrest 16. In this manner, thelockable gas spring assembly, when locked, operates as the linkage 26whereby movement of the mount 24 with respect to the frame 12 results inpivotal movement of the backrest 16 with respect to the frame 12, andvice versa. The use of the lockable gas spring assembly as the linkage26 provides spring-assisted angular control of the backrest 16, when thelocking mechanism associated with the mount 24 is in the locked state.The inclusion of the lockable gas spring assembly, or a spring componentof any type, as part of the linkage 26 connecting the mount 24 and thebackrest 16, however, is not required. In place of the lockable gasspring assembly, a rod or bar could be employed as the linkage 26. Wherethe linkage 26 is a rod, the rod can be similar but longer than thepiston rod 110 and pivotally attach to the mount 24, for example in asimilar manner to the first pivot mount 112 (see FIG. 8 ). The rod asthe linkage 26 would also be pivotally attached to the backrest frame60, for example in a similar manner to the second pivot mount 116 (seeFIG. 4 ) via the fastener 84 (see FIG. 6 ). In either case, e.g., wherethe linkage 26 includes spring assist or where the linkage 26 does notinclude spring assist to aid in raising the backrest, the first positionof the mount 24 (see FIG. 6 ) can correspond to the backrest 16 being inthe raised position and the second position (see FIG. 7 ) can correspondto the backrest 16 being in the lowered position. Also, in either case,with or without spring assist in raising the backrest 22, the mount 24is lockable at the first position, when the backrest 16 is in the raisedposition. As can be appreciated, other types of linkages, which caninclude extendable or telescoping assemblies that operate similarly tothe cylinder 114 and piston rod 110 but without a spring bias, could beemployed where the linkage 26 connects with the mount 24 and thebackrest 16 such that movement of the mount 24 with respect to the frame12 results in pivotal movement of the backrest 16 with respect to theframe 12.

With reference to FIGS. 8 and 9 , the mount 24 includes a longitudinalchannel 162 through which a rod 164 is positioned. The longitudinalchannel 162 defines side walls 166. The rod 164 includes a series ofteeth 168 cut into a cylindrical outer surface 170 at a locationoverlapping the location of slide rails 160 in a longitudinal direction,which runs parallel to a longest dimension of the rod 164. Each tooth168 is shaped to define a flat radial surface 172 that is locatedadjacent a leading edge of each tooth 168. The flat radial surface 172resides in a plane normal to the longitudinal direction of the rod 164.Each tooth 168 also defines a ramped surface 174 located on an opposingtrailing edge of each tooth 168. Also positioned within the longitudinalchannel 162, mounted to each respective side wall 166 thereof, is anelongate curved engagement plate 176. Each elongate curved engagementplate 176 is made from a strong spring steel and is biased to maintainits present curved position, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 . Each elongatecurved engagement plate 176 includes a fixed end 182, which is moreclearly depicted in FIG. 10 , and an engagement end 184. Each elongatecurved engagement plate 176 and/or the engagement end 184 thereofoperates as a spring-biased member that is received in a respectivetooth 168 when the locking mechanism is in the locked state. The fixedend 182 of each elongate curved engagement plate 176 is secured to eachrespective side wall 166 within the longitudinal channel 162 using anappropriate fastening means, such as a mechanical fastener (not shown).The two elongate curved engagement plates 176 are secured within thelongitudinal channel 162 so that each respective engagement end 184 isdirected forward (towards the foot end cross member 48), and curvedinwardly towards the rod 164, which resides within the longitudinalchannel 162 between the elongate curved engagement plate 176. Eachengagement end 184 of each elongate curved engagement plate 176 isspring biased into contact with the rod 164 and are sized and shaped tofirmly engage with any opposing pair of teeth 168 that align, dependingon the relative location of mount 24 on the slide rails 160. Eachengagement end 184 of each elongate curved engagement plate 176 engage arespective flat radial surface 172 of a respective tooth 168. The springbias of each elongate curved engagement plate 176 maintains firmengagement with the rod 164 and prevents the mount 24 from sliding inone direction along slide rails 160, towards the front of the frame 12.However, owing to the ramped surface 174 of each tooth 168, the mount 24may slide towards the rear end of frame 12 (towards the head end crossmember 46), allowing each of the elongate curved engagement plate 176 tobend towards their respective side wall 166, against their spring bias,and transitioning along rod 164, advancing from tooth pair to adjacenttooth pair. While reclining on the chaise chair 10, when a personapplies a force against backrest 16, the force tries to slide the mount24 forward towards the foot end cross member 48, but this force forcesthe engagement ends 184 of each respective elongate curved engagementplate 176 to tightly engage with the adjacent teeth 168 of rod 164,thereby preventing forward movement of mount 24. This engagement betweenthe elongate curved engagement plates 176 and the rod 164 effectivelyholds the backrest 16 in position at a desired angle. Such engagementallows for normal operation of chaise chair 10, allowing the user topush against the backrest 16 during use, including forcing the backrestdown while unlocking the lockable gas spring assembly when employed asthe linkage 26, to a lower angled position, and also allowing thelockable gas spring assembly to lift the backrest 16 up to a new higherposition, as desired.

When the rod 164 is rotated 90 degrees, in a manner described in moredetail below, from the position shown in FIG. 9 to the position shown inFIG. 10 , the teeth 168 will rotate out of engagement with theengagement ends 184 of the elongate curved engagement plates 176,forcing each elongate curved engagement plate 176 to bend outwardlyagainst its spring bias. The engagement ends 184 of the elongate curvedengagement plates 176 will now contact the cylindrical outer surface170, which is relatively smooth, located between the teeth 168, as shownin FIG. 10 . Because the engagement ends 184 of the elongate curvedengagement plates 176 now do not engage within the teeth 168, the mount24 is permitted to slide along slide rails 160, which in turn, allowsthe backrest 16 to be quickly lowered to the fully down position,effectively bypassing the biasing function of the lockable gas springassembly when employed as the linkage 26. With this assembly, it doesnot matter the current angular displacement of backrest 16. After therod 164 rotates 90 degrees, each elongate curved engagement plate 176loses engagement with the teeth 168 on the rod 164 and the mount 24 mayslide longitudinally with respect to frame 12.

In the morning, for example, when a hospitality setting is beingprepared for opening, the staff may raise each backrest 16 of each ofmany chaise chairs 10 from the lowered position to a fully raisedposition, or an intermediate raised position therebetween. To do so, thestaff, or a user of the chaise chair 10, simply manually pivots thebackrest 16 up, which causes the mount 24 to slide rearwardly alongslide rails 160 and also along the rod 164 toward the head end crossmember 46. Mechanisms, which will be described in further detail below,can encourage or bias the rod 164 toward the position shown in FIG. 9 .As the mount 24 slides along the slide rails 160 and the rod 164, theengagement ends 184 of each elongate curved engagement plate 176smoothly slide along the cylindrical outer surface 170 of the rod 164until the engagement ends 184 align with a first set of teeth 168 andengage. A “click” sound can be heard. The user may continue lifting upthe backrest 16 until it stops and the mount 24 will continue to slidealong the rod 164 and the engagement ends 184 will advance along theteeth 168 until the more rear pair of teeth 168 is reached. A mechanicalstop (not shown), such as a bolt or other obstruction can prevent themount 24 from sliding past a point along slide rails 160, which cancorrespond to a fully raised position of backrest 16.

The engagement ends 184 can be smooth and perhaps even rounded over, toprevent, or at least discourage, scratching, or otherwise damagingsmooth surfaces of the rod 164. The smooth or rounded over ends are suchthat the engagement between the engagement ends 184 of each elongatecurved engagement plate 176 and the teeth 168 is not affected.

FIGS. 11 and 12 depict an alternative lock mechanism associated with amount 24 a that can mount to the slide rails 160 and connect with thelinkage 26 in a similar manner to the mount 24 described above. Themount 24 a can include a lower housing section (not shown) that issimilar to the lower housing section 158 described above with referenceto FIG. 8 to facilitate connection to the slide rails 160, the linkage26 and the actuator rod 136 in a similar manner to that described above.In view of the similarities, further description of mounting the mount24 a to the slide rails 160 and connecting the mount 24 a with thelinkage 26 and the actuator rod 136 will be omitted for the sake ofbrevity. A rod 164 a, which is similar to the rod 164 with the exceptionthat the rod 164 a includes channels 206 instead of teeth 168, isreceived in a longitudinal channel 204 provided in the mount 24 a. Twochannels 206 are longitudinally aligned and located diametricallyopposed from each other on the rod 164 a. The rod 164 a can beselectively rotated about an axis 208 between a first orientation shownin FIG. 11 and a second orientation shown in FIG. 12 .

In FIGS. 11 and 12 , a spring 210 is secured within the mount 24 a,which is not shown in FIG. 12 . The spring 210 can be made from asuitable spring steel and designed so that locking arms 212 are springbiased towards each other. Each locking arm 212 can operate as aspring-biased member that is received in a respective channel 206 whenthe locking mechanism is in the locked state. As such, each locking arm212 is forced into contact against an outer cylindrical surface 214 ofthe rod 164 a, as shown in FIG. 12 , or firmly engaged within thechannels 206, as shown in FIG. 11 , depending on the relative locationand orientation of the channels 206 and locking arms 212. The lockingarms 212 are designed to separate from a first position, wherein eachlocking arm 212 is seated within each respective channel 206, toward asecond position, wherein each locking arm 212 resides against the outercylindrical surface 214 of the rod 164 a. The specific shape of spring210 can vary depending on the size and shape of the mount 24 a and othercomponents, as long as locking arms 212 meet the functional andstructural requirements, described above.

In the example illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12 , each locking arm 212 ofthe spring 210 transitions to a respective transverse arm 216, whichthen form a coil 218, joining to each other, as those skilled in themaking of springs will appreciate and understand. It should be notedthat the coil 218 of the spring 210 helps to reduce stress on the springmaterial during repeated displacement of the locking arms between thefirst position and the second position. The locking arms 212 arepreferably are made with a square sectional shape so that a flat surface222 can engage with flat side walls 224 of the channels 206. The lockingarms 212 can be made from round stock (with a circular sectional shape),but if so, each channel 206 should be made sufficiently deep so thatwhen each locking arm 212 is engaged within each respective channel 206,each locking arm 212 remains engaged, even when a linear force ofprescribed magnitude is applied relative to the spring 210 and the rod164 a. To prevent a force-induced disengagement of the locking arms 212from the respective channels 206, each channel depth should be at leastgreater than the radius of the locking arms 212, and preferably equal toor greater than the diameter of locking arms 212.

In operation, the rod 164 a is oriented in its first position in whichthe channels 206 are vertically disposed (per the orientation shown inFIG. 11 ). The locking arms 212 are shown engaged within each respectivechannel 206 so that spring 210 is longitudinally affixed with respect torod 164 a. In other words, the mount 24 a is locked to rod 164 a andcannot slide with respect to the rod 164 a, and thus with respect to theslide rails 160 and the frame 12. In this arrangement, with mount 24 afixed to the rod 164 a, the above-described chaise chair 10 may operatenormally, with a user moving the backrest 16 up and down, as desired.When the user or other person wishes to quickly lower the backrest 16,the rod 164 a is rotated 90 degrees, about the axis 208, from theposition shown in FIG. 11 to the position shown in FIG. 12 . In doingso, the channels 206 also rotate 90 degrees, forcing the locking arms212 out of the channels 206, as shown in FIG. 12 . The locking arms 212then become disengaged from the channels 206, and when this occurs, thespring 210, and therefore mount 24 a, are free to slide along rod 164 aand thus with respect to the slide rails 160 and the frame 12. Whenmount 24 a becomes linearly displaceable along rod 164 a, the connectedbackrest 16 through the linkage 26 can quickly reposition to its flatposition, as described above.

After the rod 164 a is rotated back to the position shown in FIG. 11 ,the rod 164 a and the channels 206 return to their vertical orientationper the orientation shown in FIG. 11 . With the channels 206 verticallyoriented, the channels 206 are ready to automatically capture thelocking arms 212 of spring 210 when the mount 24 a moves along the rod164 a sufficiently so that locking arms 212 align with respectiveopposing channels 206. When they do align, the inward spring bias ofspring 210 automatically forces each locking arm 212 into lockingengagement with each respective channel 206. This arrangement allows fora user to simply raise backrest 16, so that the mount 24 a, which isconnected with the backrest 16 via the linkage 26, slides along rod 164a until the locking arms 212 of the spring 210 align with the channels206. At which point, the locking arms 212 snap into locking engagementwith the channels 206, thereby locking the mount 24 a to the rod 164 a,allowing the backrest 16 to operate normally by the user.

FIGS. 13-15 depict an alternative lock mechanism associated with a mount24 b that can mount to the slide rails 160 and connect with the linkage26 in a similar manner to the mount 24 described above. The mount 24 bcan include a lower housing section (not shown) that is similar to thelower housing section 158 described above with reference to FIG. 8 tofacilitate connection to the slide rails 160, the linkage 26 and theactuator rod 136 in a similar manner to that described above. In view ofthe similarities, further description of mounting the mount 24 a to theslide rails 160 and connecting the mount 24 a with the linkage 26 andthe actuator rod 136 will be omitted for the sake of brevity. A rod 164b, which is similar to the rod 164 with the exception that the rod 164 bincludes channels 256 instead of teeth 168, is received in alongitudinal channel 258 provided in the mount 24 b. Two channels 256are longitudinally aligned and located diametrically opposed from eachother on the rod 164 b. The rod 164 b can be selectively rotated aboutan axis 260 between a first orientation shown in FIG. 14 and a secondorientation shown in FIG. 15 .

The assembly depicted in FIG. 13 is symmetrical about a planeintersecting the axis 260 about which the rod 164 b rotates and a line268 in FIG. 13 when assembled. As such, components on one side of theplane will be described in detail with the understanding that thecomponents on the other side of the line are mirror images. The mount 24b includes a mounting plate 270. The mounting plate 270 includes a pivotaxle passage 272 and a spring pin connector passage 274. The pivot axlepassage 272 extends in a direction parallel to the spring pin connectorpassage 274. A locking plate 280 pivotally connects with the mountingplate 270. Each locking plate 280 can operate as a spring-biased memberthat is received in a respective channel 256 when the locking mechanismis in the locked state. The locking plate 280 includes a pivot axle bore282 that aligns with the pivot axle passage 272 to receive a lockingplate pivot axle 284 that is received in the pivot axle passage 272 andthe pivot axle bore 282. When assembled, the locking plate 280 pivotsabout the locking plate pivot axle 284.

The locking plate 280 further includes a spring pin bore 286. The springpin bore 286 receives a spring connector pin 288. The locking plate 280further includes a spring hook receiving bore 292 that intersects thespring pin bore 286. A spring 300, which includes a coiled section 302,a first hook 304, and a second hook 306, biases a lower portion (per theorientation shown in FIG. 13 ) of the locking plate 280 toward the rod164 b. The spring 300 in the illustrated embodiment is a coiled tensionspring. The first hook 304 attaches with a spring mounting pin 308 thatis received in the spring pin connector passage 274. To facilitateattaching the first hook 304 to the spring mounting pin 308 the mountingplate 270 can further include a spring receiving bore 310 the extendsperpendicular to and intersects the spring pin connector passage 274.The second hook 306 connects with the spring connector pin 288 receivedin the spring pin bore 286. Tension on the spring 300 results in thelower portion (per the orientation shown in FIG. 13 ) of the lockingplate 280 being urged toward the rod 164 b.

In operation, the rod 164 b is oriented in its first position in whichthe channels 256 are vertically disposed (per the orientation shown inFIG. 14 ) in which the locking plates 280 are shown engaged within eachrespective channel 256 so that mount 24 b (not shown in FIG. 14 ) islongitudinally affixed with respect to the rod 164 b. In other words,the mount 24 a is locked to rod 164 b and cannot slide with respect tothe rod 164 b, and thus with respect to the slide rails 160 and theframe 12. In this arrangement, with mount 24 b fixed to rod 164 b, theabove-described chaise chair 10 may operate normally, with a user movingthe backrest 16 up and down, as desired. When the user or other personwishes to quickly lower the backrest 16, the rod 164 b is rotated 90degrees, about the axis 260, from the position shown in FIG. 14 to theposition shown in FIG. 15 . In doing so, the channels 256 also rotate 90degrees, forcing the locking plates 280 out of the channels 256, asshown in FIG. 15 . The locking plates 280 then become disengaged fromthe channels 256, and when this occurs, the mount 24 b is free to slidealong the rod 164 a and thus with respect to the slide rails 160 and theframe 12. When mount 24 b becomes linearly displaceable along rod 164 b,the connected backrest 16 through the linkage 26 can quickly repositionto its flat position, as described above.

After the rod 164 b is rotated back to the position shown in FIG. 14 ,the rod 164 b and the channels 256 return to their vertical orientationper the orientation shown in FIG. 14 . With the channels 256 verticallyoriented, the channels 256 are ready to automatically capture thelocking plates 280 when the mount 24 b moves along the rod 164 bsufficiently so that locking plates 280 align with respective opposingchannels 256. When they do align, due to the spring 300 being in tensionthe inward spring bias of locking plates 280 as they rotate about thelocking plate pivot axle 284 automatically forces each locking plate 280into locking engagement with each respective channel 256. Thisarrangement allows for a user to simply raise backrest 16, so that themount 24 b, which is connected with the backrest 16 via the linkage 26,slides along rod 164 b until the locking plates 280 align with thechannels 256. At which point, the locking plates 280 snap into lockingengagement with the channels 256, thereby locking the mount 24 b to therod 164 b, allowing the backrest 16 to operate normally by the user.

With reference back to FIG. 13 , a cover plate 320 including fasteneropenings 322 can connect with the mount 24 b to cover the mounting plate270 and other internal components. The fastener openings 322 can alignwith fastener holes 324 in the mount 24 b to connect the cover plate 320with the mount 24 b

As discussed above, any of the rods 164, 164 a and 164 b can be rotatedto change the locking mechanism from the locked state to the unlockedstate. With reference back to FIGS. 3 and 4 , the rod 164 is shown aspart of the release mechanism 28 that is operatively associated with thelocking mechanism so as to change the locking mechanism from the lockedstate to the unlocked state. However, the rods 164 a and 164 b could beused in place of the rod 164 depending on which mount 24, 24 a or 24 bis used. The release mechanism 28 includes an actuator 340, which ismanually actuated, located adjacent a periphery of the frame 12 so as tobe easily accessible to a person wanting to quickly lower the backrest16. As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the actuator 340 is located adjacent therear end of the frame 12 mounted adjacent to the head end cross member46; however, the actuator 340 could be mounted adjacent to the foot endcross member 48 if the rod 164 was rearranged accordingly. In FIGS. 3and 4 , the rod 164 is connected with the actuator 340; however, theactuator 340 could be connected with rods 164 a and 164 b when they areused in place of the rod 164 depending on which mount 24, 24 a or 24 bis used.

In the illustrated embodiment, the actuator 340 is secured to a free endof the rod 164 (or the rod 164 a, 164 b) at an end of the frame 12having the head end cross member 46. The actuator 340 is elongate sothat orientation of the rod 164 (or the rod 164 a, 164 b) with respectto the actuator 340 position may be easily communicated to a staffmember of a hospitality location, or a user of the chaise chair 10. Thedefault position of the actuator 340 can be elongate at the 6 o'clockposition, and the actuator 340 may be rotated either clockwise to the 3o'clock position, or counter-clockwise to the 9 o'clock position. Shoulda user or hospitality setting staff member wish to lower the backrest 16to its fully down position, they may do so quickly and easily byapproaching chaise chair 10 from the behind the backrest 16, androtating the actuator 340 from its down (6 o'clock) position, as shownin FIG. 1 , to a horizontal (either 3 o'clock or 9 o'clock) position.Owing to the weight of the actuator 340, the rod 164 (or the rod 164 a,164 b) can be urges to return to the default locking position. Also, asuitable spring (not shown) may be introduced to encourage or bias therod 164 (or the rod 164 a, 164 b) to default toward the locked position.

FIGS. 16-19 depict an alternative lock mechanism associated with a mount24 c that can mount to slide rails 160 a, which are similar to the sliderails 160 described above except for the addition of an opening 350 ineach slide rail 160 a, and connect with the linkage 26 in a similarmanner to the mount 24 described above. With reference to FIG. 17 , theslide rails 160 a mount to the main seat cross members 58 (only onevisible in FIG. 17 ) in a similar manner the slide rails 160 describedabove. The mount 24 c can include a lower housing section (not visible)that is similar to the lower housing section 158 described above withreference to FIG. 8 to facilitate connection to the linkage 26. Themount 24 c can include the actuator rod receiving section 156 describedabove that allows for rotation of the actuator rod 136, which has alsobeen described above. A mount cover 352, which is shown in FIG. 17 andconnects to the mount 24 c via fasteners 354, facilitates connection tothe slide rails 160 a.

With reference back to FIG. 16 , engagement plates 356 connect to themount 24 c through a cam plate 358. Each engagement plate 356 and/or arespective engagement end 362 of each engagement plate 356 operates as aspring-biased member that is received in a respective opening 350 (onlyone visible in FIGS. 16-19 due to the perspective of the views) when thelocking mechanism is in the locked state. Each engagement plate 356 isgenerally L-shaped in plan view and includes a protuberance 364, whichis cylindrical in the illustrated embodiment, that extends downwardlyfrom a planar lower surface 366.

Each protuberance 364 is received in a respective cam slot 368 providedin the cam plate 358. Each cam slot 368 has a width that is onlyslightly larger than the diameter of the respective protuberance 364received in it. Each cam slot 368 is elongate in a direction that is atan acute angle to an axis of symmetry of the cam plate 358, which isparallel with a direction of travel for the mount 24 c as indicated by adouble headed arrow 372 in FIG. 16 . With each protuberance 364 receivedin a respective cam slot 368, the cam plate 358 operates as a cam inthat linear movement of the cam plate 358 in the direction of arrow 374in FIG. 18 results in the linear movement of each engagement plate 356in a direction perpendicular to the arrow 374, which can be seen whencomparing FIG. 18 to FIG. 19 .

The cam plate 358 further includes a central slot 382 that extendsthrough the cam plate 358 and is elongate along the axis of symmetry ofthe cam plate 358. The central slot 382 receives a post 384 that extendsupwardly from the mount 24 c. The central slot 382 has a width that isonly slightly larger than the diameter of the post 384 received in it,which is more clearly seen in FIG. 18 . The central slot 382 has alength along the elongate direction between a first end 386 and a secondend 388. The distance between the first end 386 and the second end 388is sufficient such that movement of the cam plate 358 in the directionof the arrow 374 from where the post 384 contacts the first end 386(FIG. 18 ) to where the post 384 contacts the second end 388 (shown FIG.19 , but the second end 388 is hidden from view in FIG. 19 ) results inthe engagement ends 362 of each engagement plate 356 moving from beingreceived in the respective openings 350 in the slide rails 160 a to nolonger being received in the respective openings 350 in the slide rails160 a.

With reference back to FIG. 16 , the cam plate 358 further includes arecess 392 complementary in shape and configured to receive a cableterminal 394. The cable terminal 394 is provided at the end of a cable396, which can be received in a sheath 398. With reference back to FIG.17 , when assembled the cable 396 and the sheath 398 can be receivedthrough an opening 402 provided in the mount cover 352.

A flat spring 404 is positioned between respective opposing springcontact surfaces 406 provided on each engagement plate 356. The flatspring 404 is configured to bias each engagement plate 356 toward arespective slide rail 160 a in a direction perpendicular to thedirection of travel of the mount 24 c. With reference to FIG. 18 , theflat spring 404 is shown biasing each engagement plate 356 so thatrespective engagement ends 362 are received in respective openings 350so that the locking mechanism in in the locked state in which the mount24 c is precluded from movement with respect to the slide rails 160 a,and thus the frame 12 described above. Pulling the cable 396 in thedirection of the arrow 374 in FIG. 18 results in the cam plate 358moving in the direction of the arrow 374 until the cam plate 358 reachesthe position shown in FIG. 19 . Moving the cam plate 358 in thedirection of the arrow 374 with respect to the engagement plates 356moves the engagement plates 356 inwardly toward the flat spring 404compressing the flat spring 404 and the engagement ends 362 of eachengagement plate 356 move from being received in the respective openings350 to no longer being received in the respective openings 350. With theengagement plates 356 shown in the position depicted in FIG. 19 , theengagement plates 356 are disengaged from the openings 350, and whenthis occurs, the mount 24 c is free to slide with respect to the sliderails 160 and the frame 12. When mount 24 c becomes linearlydisplaceable along the slide rails 160, the connected backrest 16 (FIGS.1 and 2 ) through the linkage 26 can quickly reposition to its flatposition by pushing down on the backrest 16, which will result in themount 24 c traveling in a direction opposite to the arrow 374.

With the engagement plates 356 disengaged from the openings 350 and thebackrest 16 in the lowered position, one pivots the backrest 16 up,which causes the mount 24 c to slide along slide rails 160 a in thedirection of the arrow 374 in FIG. 18 . As the mount 24 c slides alongthe slide rails 160 a, the engagement ends 362 of each engagement plate356 smoothly slide along the slide rails 160 a until the engagement ends362 align with the openings 350 at which time each engagement end 362 isreceived in a respective opening 350 and the locking mechanism returnsto the locked state as described above.

With reference to FIG. 16 , a handle 410, which is a manual actuatorsimilar in function to the actuator 340 described above, connects withan end of the cable 396 that is opposite the cable terminal 394. Becausethe cable 396 is flexible, it can be routed throughout the frame 12 todifferent locations. The handle 410, therefore, can be located adjacenta periphery of the frame 12 for easy access, e.g., mounted to the leftside rail 42, the right side rail 44, the head end cross member 46 orthe foot end cross member 48.

A chaise chair has been described above with particularity.Modifications and alterations will occur to those upon reading the abovedetailed description. The invention, however, is not limited to only theembodiments described above. It will be appreciated that various of theabove-disclosed embodiments and other features and functions, oralternatives or varieties thereof, may be desirably combined into manyother different systems or applications. Also that various presentlyunforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations orimprovements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in theart which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims.

1. A chaise chair comprising: a frame; a main seat attached to theframe; a backrest pivotally attached to the frame, the backrest beingpivotal between a lowered position and a raised position; a mountconnected with and selectively movable with respect to the frame; alocking mechanism associated with the mount and operable between alocked state in which the mount is precluded from movement with respectto the frame and an unlocked state in which the mount is movable withrespect to the frame; a linkage connected with the mount and thebackrest and configured such that movement of the mount with respect tothe frame results in pivotal movement of the backrest with respect tothe frame; and a release mechanism operatively associated with thelocking mechanism so as to change the locking mechanism from the lockedstate to the unlocked state.
 2. The chaise chair of claim 1, furthercomprising at least one slide rail connected with the frame and themount mounts to and is selectively movable with respect to the at leastone slide rail.
 3. The chaise chair of claim 1, wherein the releasemechanism includes an actuator, which is manually actuated, locatedadjacent a periphery of the frame.
 4. The chaise chair of claim 3,wherein the actuator is located adjacent a rear end of the frame.
 5. Thechaise chair of claim 3, wherein the release mechanism includes a rodconnected with the actuator.
 6. The chaise chair of claim 5, wherein themount is movable with respect to the rod when the locking mechanism isin the unlocked state and the mount is precluded from moving withrespect to the rod along a greatest dimension of the rod when thelocking mechanism is in the locked state.
 7. The chaise chair of claim6, wherein the rod is rotated about an axis parallel with the greatestdimension of the rod to change the locking mechanism from the lockedstate to the unlocked state.
 8. The chaise chair of claim 6, wherein therod includes teeth or channels and the locking mechanism includes aspring-biased member, wherein the spring-biased member is received in arespective tooth or channel when the locking mechanism is in the lockedstate.
 9. The chaise chair of claim 8, wherein the rod includes teeth orchannels and the locking mechanism includes a spring-biased member,wherein the spring-biased member is received in a respective tooth orchannel when the locking mechanism is in the locked state, and rotationof the rod with respect to the frame moves the spring-biased member outof the respective tooth or channel.
 10. The chaise chair of claim 3,wherein the release mechanism includes a cable connected with theactuator.
 11. The chaise chair of claim 10, further comprising at leastone slide rail connected with the frame and the mount mounts to and isselectively movable with respect to the at least one slide rail, whereinthe at least one slide rail includes an opening and the lockingmechanism includes a spring-biased member, wherein the spring-biasedmember is received in the opening when the locking mechanism is in thelocked state.
 12. The chaise chair of claim 1, wherein the linkageincludes a lockable gas spring assembly configured to be selectivelyactivated to bias the backrest toward the raised position when thelocking mechanism is in the locked state in which the mount is precludedfrom movement with respect to the frame.
 13. The chaise chair of claim12, wherein the lockable gas spring assembly is pivotally mounted to themount, the lockable gas spring assembly including a piston rod and acylinder and the piston rod being selectively lockable in which movementof the piston rod with respect to the cylinder is precluded.
 14. Thechaise chair of claim 13, wherein the backrest includes a brace and thelockable gas spring assembly is pivotally mounted to the brace.
 15. Thechaise chair of claim 13, wherein the lockable gas spring assemblyincludes a valve that is movable between a closed position in whichmovement of the piston rod with respect to the cylinder is precluded andan open position in which the piston rod is movable with respect to thecylinder.
 16. The chaise chair of claim 15, further comprising a valveactuator, which is manually actuated, accessible on at least one side ofthe frame, the valve actuator being connected to and movable with themount as the mount moves with respect to the frame.
 17. The chaise chairof claim 13, wherein with the lockable gas spring assembly locked,whereby movement of the piston rod with respect to the cylinder isprecluded, and the locking mechanism in the locked state, the mount isslidable with respect to the frame between a first position and a secondposition in response to pivotal movement of the backrest.
 18. The chaisechair of claim 1, wherein the mount is slidable with respect to theframe between a first position and a second position in response topivotal movement of the backrest, wherein the first position of themount corresponds to the backrest being in the raised position and thesecond position corresponds to the backrest being in the loweredposition.
 19. The chaise chair of claim 18, wherein the mount islockable at the first position, when the backrest in the raisedposition.